Diving with Contact Lenses

[matchframe]

I have been recreation diving since 1989 and my son got his Open Water card 4 years ago. We both have prescription goggles, but he has started wearing contacts since we last dove. We have a dive trip planned in mid March. This salt water dive will be only 40 feet deep. He is 16 years old now and insists that he can dive while wearing his contacts and wants to get a non prescription goggles. I have not worn contacts in about 30 years and I know they have changed a lot since I last wore them, but there is no way I could have worn contacts while on a dive.

For those of you who wear contact lenses, is it possible to dive while wearing contacts or would you recommend against it?

Thanks!!

 

[Rick Inman]

Yup. Many, many divers (including myself) wear contacts (soft, disposables).

If they get wet, it is best to toss them (bacteria in the water can cause a nasty problem). Otherwise, no problem.

Do yourself a favor and do a search here on SB and you'll learn all about diving with contacts.

 

[matchframe]

Thanks for the reply!! I appreciate it.

Does the water pressure affect your eyes while diving with contact?

I did not think about doing a search for existing threads. I will do that too!

 

[Rick Inman]

Does the water pressure affect your eyes while diving with contact?

Nope. The liquid is non-compressable ,and the gas is self-equalizing. You forget you have them on.

Some people like to squint their eyes when they clear/flood or remove their mask for fear of losing a contact, but I have been mask-less with eyes wide open several times and never lost a contact.

 

[Burnsie]

I have them as well. I just try to keep my eyes closed if I take off my mask or if it gets accidentally flooded. No problems thus far, just make sure he has plenty of extra pairs if you are traveling.

 

[SlowRain]

Just a thought....get some daily wear contacts. I am talking about the kind that you replace every day with a fresh pair. Tossing them isn't an issue then if they get exposed to sea water because you are going to toss them at the end of the day anyway.

When I dive, I do mono-vision. A contact in one eye and one with out, which helps when you are looking at the screen on your digital camera.

 

[alphonsis]

I've yet to have a problem with soft contacts whilst diving. Maybe I'm just lucky, but I've never had a problem with losing the contacts during mask-less drills or the like. Much like the previous posters, I also always bring a few pairs of disposables just in case.

 

[truck1]

I have not had any problems at all wearing contacts.I do agree with burnsie thought that anytime I may get water in my eyes I close them.

 

[diver 85]

I have been recreation diving since 1989 and my son got his Open Water card 4 years ago. We both have prescription goggles, but he has started wearing contacts since we last dove. We have a dive trip planned in mid March. This salt water dive will be only 40 feet deep. He is 16 years old now and insists that he can dive while wearing his contacts and wants to get a non prescription goggles. I have not worn contacts in about 30 years and I know they have changed a lot since I last wore them, but there is no way I could have worn contacts while on a dive.

For those of you who wear contact lenses, is it possible to dive while wearing contacts or would you recommend against it?

Thanks!!

From one that does not wear them but has been fitting them since '74, the short answer to your question is 'Yes'---if you have a properly fit pair........Also, do an above search(type in something like 'diving with contact lenses' or the such)---for example, just 2 or 3 days ago there was a thread on this exact thingy.......

 

[Web Monkey]

They work great, but make sure you get daily disposables.

Water sometimes contains things that the lens cleaning solution was never designed to kill.

Terry

I have been recreation diving since 1989 and my son got his Open Water card 4 years ago. We both have prescription goggles, but he has started wearing contacts since we last dove. We have a dive trip planned in mid March. This salt water dive will be only 40 feet deep. He is 16 years old now and insists that he can dive while wearing his contacts and wants to get a non prescription goggles. I have not worn contacts in about 30 years and I know they have changed a lot since I last wore them, but there is no way I could have worn contacts while on a dive.

For those of you who wear contact lenses, is it possible to dive while wearing contacts or would you recommend against it?

Thanks!!